Mite infestation part two

[Stylopidae]

I am cleaning up my house now. I've taken care of the first infestation that was in the garage. I'm introducing the roaches back to the container sometime on thursday.

Anyways: I have a new problem. The infestation has spread to a downstairs bathroom in my house. I've windexed the mirror, bleach bombed the drain, cleaned all the fixtures, cleaned the sink, mopped the floor and cleaned the cabinet underneath.

Last night, there were little balls of mites. I'm thinking they were breeding under the sink, so I windexed that all to hell.

I was feeling pretty confident until this morning, when I noticed about two dozen moving specks on my mirror.

Are they gonna come back? Or not?

I'm going to clean everything one last time.

They're the same type that were in my garage.

 

[John Apple]

Ec...try some diatomaceus earth , I have used that for my colubrids and it works very well, just keep it away from your inverts as it will eventually kill them.
For tarantulas set the T up in a clean cage and dust the old ones, then clean them well and re=apply the T
I keep my T's and the colobrids in the same room and have yet to lose a T from exposure and all cloubrids have a bit in thier enclosure. Heck man , I had the same problem with My cave roaches and I removed the adults set them up in a dry cage with a water bowl and the mite infection has stopped.
D you have those nasty little phorid flies in your house cause they can carry the mites everywhere as hitch-hikers,,been there

 

[John Apple]

forgot to say use a vacuum with a GOOD filter to clean up the stuff

 

[Galapoheros]

That kind of environment seems odd....just out in the open walking around. Wonder what they are eating. Wonder what kind they are. Are they killing your stuff? I have mites moving around in the soil but they don't seem to bother the animals I have. I like talking about mites even though it's been hacked allot. The only ones that have given me any trouble are the little vampire like mites that park like ticks or plant scale on your animals and suck the life out. When I first found this forum and read about mites, I got the impression that the predatory mites get on your arthropods, hunt, kill and eat the sucking, tick like mites. Is that true or do the predatory mites kill and eat the corpse eating mites? Anyway, there is tape out you can by that is sticky on both sides. You could tape it around your roach container. The mites will get stuck to the tape if they try to get in. You can get the tape at a hardware store. You probably have hiding mites or some eggs attached to your roaches though. I think that's how they will get back in the roach container.

 

[Stylopidae]

I have no idea what they are, or what they're eating. They are in my house, nowhere near edible food, or my bugs.

I should have made this clearer: This particular infestation is in my house. My roach colony was in my garage. I'm fairly certian I destroyed the mites that were in my garage, because I poured strong mop water on them. Judging by the cricket that feebley jumped twice and then kicked, I doubt anything in that 3 foot puddle of water survived.

The problem with that bathroom is that I never used it, thus I never cleaned it.

So I thought they were eating dust and such, but since that's gone they keep coming back.

In the other thread, all of the AB members I talked to identified them as grain mites.

My mom used to keep some sort of friut in the garage that repelled insects, but I can't remember what that was.

I need some sort of attractant, but I can't figure out what I could use.

I will give the diatomaceous earth a try on top of my sink.

 

[The Snark]

I'm speaking from veteranary and botanical experience here.
Mites are a fantastically diverse species. They vary nearly as widely as to what they are vulnerable towards. Diatomaceous earth will work on certain mites that are physically susceptable to micro invasion of the exoskeleton. Unfortunately, those kinds of mites are by no means the majority.
Other examples. The demodex mite that causes dermally destructive mange is only susceptable to a horribly powerful petrolchemical toxin. It's cousin that invades dogs as well, sarcops, can be killed by repeated bathings, diatomaceous earth, etc. 'Red spider mites' that feast on pine trees are highly susceptable to a solution of sulphur and slaked lime.

Therefore, unless you have the ability to accurately identify your invaders, your only choice is trial and error. Try the diatomaceous on a test group and look for kill ratio. Try a powerful surfactant on another group, a denatured petrochemical on another and so on. What you are looking for is not which kills but which kills the greatest quantity (or best, 100% kill).

The whole thing is, established mite colonies will ALWAYS re-establish themselves in the absence of their particular natural enemy. As example, it is believed all dogs carry some demodex and sarcops. Something keeps them in check.
So your choice is repeated kills until a natural enemies take over with the least noxious control agent.

How to kill mites.
A hammer. Calories expended per death normally prohibits this method.
Invade the exoskeleton with an irritant/abrasive. Diatomaceous earth. Sulphide compounds. Etc.
Poison them directly. Alcohol, certain peroxides, petrochemicals. (Naphthalene etc.)
Poison their food. Petrochemicals, phosphates, bromides.
The question is, which toxins do you want in your environment. The general rule, assuming you aren't a toxoid enthusiast, is rule out bromides, aromatic petrochemicals and phosphates. They can kill you as easy as they kill mites.
I recommend, used in various combinations:
Diatomaceous earth.
Denatured alcohol
5% hydrogen peroxide (will bleach things, use caution)
Mothballs, sealed as well as possible into an enclosed environment. *BEWARE, both forms of mothballs (napthalene and paradichlorobenzene) produce a gaseous vapor which is much more dangerous to humans than the chemical companies would like you to think. They are also EXTREMELY poisonous to reptiles. Just introducing napthalene into a room with your reptile enclosures can endanger their lives.
Sticky barriers

The major problem is, once you have an effective miticide, how do you deliver it to all the mites. Direct application is nearly impossible once they have invaded your home. Therefore, you need to use residual poisons. Repeated dustings with diatomaceous earth is the least hazardous to your health and sanity but only minimally effective. Solutions are very difficult to deliver directly. You will need to experiment.

A few words of warning. NO over the counter insecticide is an effective latent miticide. Don't let someone fool you with a supposed invasive spray or vapor. The only large area mite killer that is fully effective is methyl bromide and sane people don't go there.


That all said, you probably have some kind of dust mites. Square 1 is vacuuming your entire house. Each and every inch, with a powerful vacuum with a good filter. But that is not enough. Mites weave webs which can prevent them and their eggs from getting sucked up. You have to use something like a stiff bristle paint brush and brush every surface as you vacuum.
Once you have one of the most thouroughly vacuumed houses on the planet, slosh mop your world with a strong detergent. Everywhere dust collects. The most powerful detergent you can get is automatic dishwashing detergent. Beware, it can discolor paint and may bleach out colors. You don't need a very strong solution.
Next, load a spray bottle. Undiluted alcohol works real well. Squirt into the nooks and crannies getting the surfaces good and wet.
Last, if you have a lot of areas like cupboards that have been invaded, get out the napthalene and masking tape. Add some to each area like drawers and cupboards then tape the edges and cracks up. Let that reek for 24 to 48 hours.

 

[Galapoheros]

I don't use pesticides in my house. I've been here 10 years. Evil C., do you use pesticides in your house? I wonder if that would kill beneficial predators but is leaving behind mites that are more resistant to a pesticide being used. I only see two or three roaches a year in my house. But I sure do have allot of spiders. I have to clean up all the empty bodies they drop from their webs every once in a while. I'm definitely not the cleanest person in the world either. But I think it gets a little heavy with dust mites in here sometimes. So I use lysol. It kills stuff like that on contact and not a drifty pesticide that would be a danger to my arthros. What do you think about the pesticide thing, Stark? Hey!.. You could call an exterminator just to get a diagnoses. If they're properly trained, they should have some good info to give you other than having your house sprayed (which I wouldn't do unless an emergency) like, why there are so many, chemical free prevention..who knows what they might tell you. That might be an idea. Good luck with it.

 

[Stylopidae]

I never thought of the mothballs. That is a really good idea.

I got some over the counter home insecticide and sprayed it along the floorboards, in my cupboards and on the sink. I'll pick up some mothballs at wal-mart when i get off work and toss a towel under the door. Should I just open the whole box or lay a few in there?

As for pesticides, no pesticides and my house sounds a lot like yours, golapo. I don't mind the spiders.

Unless they feed the mites. Then I have a problem with them.

 

[Marshal]

As far as setting out that fruit you mentioned I know we set up a lot of either hedge apples or maybe they're called hatch apples... either way it's a really bumpy fruit and it keeps out most insects during the winter save the occasion house spider..

 

[The Snark]

I never thought of the mothballs. That is a really good idea.

I got some over the counter home insecticide and sprayed it along the floorboards, in my cupboards and on the sink. I'll pick up some mothballs at wal-mart when i get off work and toss a towel under the door. Should I just open the whole box or lay a few in there?

As for pesticides, no pesticides and my house sounds a lot like yours, golapo. I don't mind the spiders.

Unless they feed the mites. Then I have a problem with them.

Mothballs, napthalene, is, or should be, quite cheap. The vapor will kills mites quite fast in sufficient dosage. Therefore, I suggest using a whole package (or 2 or 3), getting the job done, then getting rid of the stuff. It's a nasty poison you don't want to keep around.